Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the deputy head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The role of Deputy Prime Minister is the second highest post and senior Cabinet Minister in Singapore. The holder will sometimes assume the role of Acting Prime Minister when the PM is temporarily absent from Singapore. Since the mid-1980s, Singapore has usually had two Deputy Prime Ministers at a time. In a recent cabinet reshuffle announced 23 April 2019, Minister of Finance, Heng Swee Keat will assume his role as the Deputy Prime Minister as further indication that he is front runner to be Singapore's next prime minister.
The office of Deputy Prime Minister dates back to 1959 and was appointed at first by the Governor of Singapore then the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, when Singapore achieved self-governance as the State of Singapore within the British Empire. The title of Deputy Prime Minister remained unchanged after the merger with the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo, while Singapore was a constituent state in Malaysia from 1963 to 1965, and after independence in 1965. Toh Chin Chye was the first deputy prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1968 and retired on 2 August 1968.
